House Security In Pattaya

[manarak]

I read stories in the news and hear stories from house owners.

Some have been robbed regularly once a year, regardless of high walls, barbed wire and security personnel.

In some cases, robbers drove up in full daylight with a pickup, and beat up the wife and the maid then proceeded with taking anything they fancied.

In another case, they were seen by a security guard climbing a high wall, and when the guard approached, they scare him away with a gun.

So, how to beef up security for relatively isolated villas?

I saw some have alarm buttons linked to the next police station.

How fast are police in responding to these alarms (assuming friendly terms of the housedweller with police)?

What else holds off the robers?

I can't really imagine putting steel bars everywhere, though armored security doors and windows could be an option (with steel alloy frames with spaces not large enough for a person to pass through).

Another thing that I think is interesting are guard dogs.

Are they an effective deterrent, or example 3 or 4 big dogues roaming the garden?

Have any of you gone as far as setting up a panic room?

Thanks for your insights.

[Spoonman]

lol, a Panic Room, are you serious !!

Got any links for these so called robberies.

[NanLaew]

Home security in Pattaya is what you chose to make it. There's local companies selling cctv systems or basic motion sensor type systems but nobody has a hook up with any local police station, that's just not an option in LOS. If you are building a new place, get steel frames on your doors and if not steel doors, then get really thick, solid wood doors. I would recommend bringing lock hardware from overseas as most of the stuff made locally is some crap alloy. Make sure you have strong deadbolts that are keyed from BOTH sides. Windows are more problematical as it depends if you have wood, aluminium or PVC frames. If you do resort to the ugly 'kamoy bars', make sure that they are secured on each of the four sides by a masonry nail that goes through the frame and into the brickwork. Tales of kamoy bars being ripped out by sheer brute force are not unknown. Motion detectors that turn on floodlights and trigger a loud alarm are a good investment.

I have installed a couple of Yale wireless alarm systems and there's a few on here that swear by them. These have motion sensors and door and window trip switches. They also can dial several preprogrammed phone numbers as well as setting off a very loud and very visible alarm. They were purchased in the UK which shares the Thai power of 240V, easy to install and program and assume that they work well since nobody else I know has reported any burglaries since installing them.

You can purchase hotel style lock boxes and safes locally. However, once again I would recommend bringing the former in from overseas and then make sure that the location of the installation is discreet and the installation itself very very secure, ie. if you are building a house/condo, incorporate a steel frame in the wall that such a lock box or safe can be welded onto. You could incorporate a 'panic room' if you feel the need but I would recommend that it also be the same room where your electrical power distribution and backup power (if any) is installed. No point in being in your designated safe place hidden off the Master bedroom when the kamoys kill the house power.

Some people swear by having dogs but I don't.

[RabC]

I was robbed 2 years ago, all the robbers had to do was bend back the security bars as they hadn't been installed correctly. After the event the bars were secured correctly and the bolt heads welded to the frames so they could not be undone, I also bought a Yale wireless system from the UK and installed motion activated lights outside, all has been quiet since then.

I have heard various stories of guard dogs being poisoned so if I was to have a dog it would be inside at night.

Edited February 21, 2010 by RabC

[NALAK]

as one security advisor said anything with a stomach is curroptable, also can be poisened. cctv wel as he said most thai burglars dont even know what cctv is so no deterent. 3 friends robbed in Samui in 1 week, 1 of them twice. security guards sleep all night and let anybody through including all the vendors eyeing the joint out, if the security guy hasnt already for a fee. if the really want to get in they will, having said that anything that makes think not woth the bother move on some where else easier has to be good. had a security ligh fitted a few weeks ago, they electrition had never heard of one he had a wail of a time running in front of it and waving his hand. police responce time, nce saw a guy get his brains blown out in front of hundreds, police responce time 1 1/2 hours. all nice and clean when they arrived.

[jb4446]

All robbers need to do is remove a few roof tiles and there in.

[Heng]

IMO cctv is a deterrent, but you have to actually have someone looking at the screens, even if it's a guard (ours should actually be called "guy who opens the gate when our gate remote batteries are low") who's not paying attention most of the time.

I have floodlight switches in my office that I can turn on anytime I need a better look at something but more often than not it's just random teenagers making out who quickly ride off. Just being known as a place where it's not convenient to loiter for more than a few minutes lowers the crime rate in the immediate vicinity.

[Basil B]

The Romans used geese, well if that dose not work you can also eat them.

Could put down a lot of gravel.

But the best bet is to do more than your neighbours, and not to flaunt your wealth.

[OZEMADE]

Light movement sensors, door and window alarm sensors, movement sensors interior, spiked fence and gate along with CCTV cameras about 4 external. I have my alarm system hooked up to my mobile and the police, it rings me and lets me know if the alarm has been tripped. If I am too far away the Police attend. On top of that the neighbours come out with the siren going and the blue light flashing. I test it every month, works fine.

[Naam]

All robbers need to do is remove a few roof tiles and there in.

not in my house (welded steel mats 12mm between ceilings and attic).

[simon43]

I go with the geese idea as well. A Scottish friend keeps a few geese for this very purpose and there is no way you can break in without the geese making a hel_l of a noise. Plus they can give you a nasty bite with their beaks!

I also had the idea of naming my house 'bahn pee' (house of the dead). Put a few ghoulish statues and masks around the garden - that's gonna to deter any Issan thieves for sure

Simon

Edited February 22, 2010 by simon43

[jb4446]

All robbers need to do is remove a few roof tiles and there in.

not in my house (welded steel mats 12mm between ceilings and attic).

Yes but how many people put them in?. Makes me laugh to see terms of panic/safe room mentioned,images of robbers and property owner facing each other through a reinforced metal door,all the robber has to do is knock a hole through the thin fibre/plaster board ceiling and play 'Bat the Rat"with a .32 or whatever from the ceiling.

I used other methods but cannot mention them here.One thing I did do once and not with geese,I put a snake into the lounge of my house,lethal kind,took a day to find the damned thing on my return.

[Rimmer]

All robbers need to do is remove a few roof tiles and there in.

not in my house (welded steel mats 12mm between ceilings and attic).

What a great idea

[chiangmaikelly]

I used to live right off of Soi Bua Khow behind the twice weekly market. I moved in 6 dancers from different clubs. They got home at different times of the night and day and there was always eating and drinking going on 24/7. Never had any problems with security. They kept their shoes lined up on the front porch. There were 20 or 30 pairs of high heels there most days along with the different colored costumes drying on a couple of clothes racks. Most of the time the doors weren’t locked and I never had any problems. There was only one bathroom and that was a bit of a problem. But I got used to it. It seemed like a small price to pay for the 24 hour security.  

[dmax]

forget all of the above ! this is sure to work , tell everyone around the local vacinity that you have seen one of these guys in the house, problem solved .

[manarak]

LOL

that's effective, but my wife might disagree with that method

I used to live right off of Soi Bua Khow behind the twice weekly market. I moved in 6 dancers from different clubs. They got home at different times of the night and day and there was always eating and drinking going on 24/7. Never had any problems with security. They kept their shoes lined up on the front porch. There were 20 or 30 pairs of high heels there most days along with the different colored costumes drying on a couple of clothes racks. Most of the time the doors weren’t locked and I never had any problems. There was only one bathroom and that was a bit of a problem. But I got used to it. It seemed like a small price to pay for the 24 hour security.

[manarak]

The Romans used geese, well if that dose not work you can also eat them.

Could put down a lot of gravel.

But the best bet is to do more than your neighbours, and not to flaunt your wealth.

easier said than done.

no problem in a city, but in a relatively isolated area with just 2-3 neighbors, the large garden and the 5,6,7 rooms would be difficult to hide.

Edited February 22, 2010 by manarak

[manarak]

All robbers need to do is remove a few roof tiles and there in.

not in my house (welded steel mats 12mm between ceilings and attic).

Yes but how many people put them in?. Makes me laugh to see terms of panic/safe room mentioned,images of robbers and property owner facing each other through a reinforced metal door,all the robber has to do is knock a hole through the thin fibre/plaster board ceiling and play 'Bat the Rat"with a .32 or whatever from the ceiling.

I used other methods but cannot mention them here.One thing I did do once and not with geese,I put a snake into the lounge of my house,lethal kind,took a day to find the damned thing on my return.

you're not talking about a safe room here.

A safe room has not only an armored door, but also armatured concrete walls, ground and ceiling, possibly with a layer of 15mm - 20mm steel, autonomous power supply and separate ventilation from the roof.

A safe room take a minimum of 20 minutes to break in even if you got the proper equipment (which thai robbers have no chance to have).

[manarak]

Light movement sensors, door and window alarm sensors, movement sensors interior, spiked fence and gate along with CCTV cameras about 4 external. I have my alarm system hooked up to my mobile and the police, it rings me and lets me know if the alarm has been tripped. If I am too far away the Police attend. On top of that the neighbours come out with the siren going and the blue light flashing. I test it every month, works fine.

so the police really shows up, that's good news, at least for where you live.

How quick are they to repond?

do you get them a few bottles of Whisky for time to time?

[manarak]

All robbers need to do is remove a few roof tiles and there in.

not in my house (welded steel mats 12mm between ceilings and attic).

wow Naam, I guess this isn't the only defensive measure - your house must be a fortress!

[OZEMADE]

Light movement sensors, door and window alarm sensors, movement sensors interior, spiked fence and gate along with CCTV cameras about 4 external. I have my alarm system hooked up to my mobile and the police, it rings me and lets me know if the alarm has been tripped. If I am too far away the Police attend. On top of that the neighbours come out with the siren going and the blue light flashing. I test it every month, works fine.

so the police really shows up, that's good news, at least for where you live.

How quick are they to repond?

do you get them a few bottles of Whisky for time to time?

YES

[DisainaM]

if you leave your house for more than 7 days, and nobody is at home,

your house insurance will ask for a security service.

You pay 5.000 Bath per month and the police will check your home.

If something is missing, you replace it with the insurance refund.

Important small items, you place in your bank deposit box.

[raro]

I used to live right off of Soi Bua Khow behind the twice weekly market. I moved in 6 dancers from different clubs. They got home at different times of the night and day and there was always eating and drinking going on 24/7. Never had any problems with security. They kept their shoes lined up on the front porch. There were 20 or 30 pairs of high heels there most days along with the different colored costumes drying on a couple of clothes racks. Most of the time the doors weren’t locked and I never had any problems. There was only one bathroom and that was a bit of a problem. But I got used to it. It seemed like a small price to pay for the 24 hour security.

I might have well broken into that home...

[Clive sorts]

Hi all

This subject is my trade so I can advise on it very well as I have been in the Security Industry for 23 years & run a Security company in the UK. I have been to Thailand on five occasions however I can't give advice to that particular country and its nature of burglaries as I have no experience of it. My advice is general to what I have learn't here in the UK..

Generally I advise clients to spend as much as they can afford first on physical security, i.e. gates, high fences, solid timber doors, steel plating to doors ( fitting steel plates can seem excessive however they can be painted to suit the doors they are fitted to ) , locks & grilles. If you have good quality locks, doors & grilles fitted the Intruder will likely fear it will take him/her too long to defeat them and they will make too much noise doing it. After that I would advise them to have Electronic Security installed , i.e. a Burglar alarm system, external motion detectors and Security lighting. These are all preventative measures to try to ward off potential Intruders from targeting your property so that they will target somewhere else. Eventually a determined Intruder may gain entry to your property however it is the measures you take to slow them down or prevent them from doing so in the first place.

Your average Intruder is an opportunist who wants to get in and get out of your propertry in the fastest way possible, they don't want to meet you in your hallway as just much as you don't want to meet them. The longer he/she takes to burgle your home the greater chance he/she has of being caught. The more noise he/she makes when breaking in to your home it is more likely someone will hear them.

In the UK we thankfully have Police responding to Burglar alarm systems that are linked to Alarm Receiving Centres. I don't know if the Police in Thailand respond to Burglar alarm systems in properties, can someone confirm this ? I am sure Banks, Government properties and Blue chip companies in Thailand have Police or Security guard response companies that respond to Burglar alarm systems sounding ?

If it is the case in Thailand that Police response is not widely available to the average Thailand homeowner then you may want to consider having a Smoke screen device fitted. ( subject to Thai laws which I don't know ). In high end properties & remote premises in the UK, i.e. Jewellery shops, banks, houses & Goverment properties we fit these devices that emit a smoke screen ( also known as a Fog generator ). I would assume they can be fitted in Thailand as they are completley harmless to the health of humans as the smoke that is emitted is a water based glycol liquid. The average room would be engulfed with smoke in about 10 seconds if there was a break in and this would scare the bejesus out of anyone. The smoke generator is about the size of large microwave and can be connected to any type of Burglar alarm system, it cannot be set up to trap a person in your property but only to deter. Also you must put signs up to make people aware that this deterant is fitted in your property. Have a look on Youtube where you can see demonstrations of this device. Cost is about £200-£300 GB pounds

Be safe.

Regards

Clive

Edited February 22, 2010 by Clive sorts

[bjoe97]

this is not an easy one

many thing must be taken into consideration

experts must be consulted if you want a reliable serious answer to this- and this will cost- and unfortunately nowadays it may well be worth it

like- how far am i prepared to go to defend my home, my family?

lets forget now about all the "its illegal crap" if a loved one is facing pain one will never say " oh no, I should not of saved my loved one that way- it is not legal"

or this other myth " the locals will be mad and come and get you..."

i favor the worst case scenario approach with maximum payback

i honestly pity anyone who try's to enter my home, even more so if I am in it because I would take a souvenir

they will be physically and mentality damaged for life

i use a variety of means, some high tech, (chemical)some low tech( nasty, brutal), i have booby traps and other mean devices

i simply am not prepared to take a chance with young children in my house in case the person is some hannibal lecter type- who would

but in order to safely install such devices one must be expertly advised, you would not want to trigger something on some old relative who left her keys behind

actually its not that difficult

google it, buy books and DVD's

PM me if you'd like specifics

[manarak]

I'm not so scared by the regular burglars.

Biggest scare is a gang of 3 or 4 armed men driving to the house and using violence on the children/wife/maid.

[raro]

I love the idea with the smoke generator. Must be difficult to navigate in an unknown house. Is it possible to mix it with some tear gas?

[jb4446]

<snip>

All I can say is that the so called movement detectors are virtually a waste of space especially in Thailand or any hot weather climate.They are foremost heat detectors,most effective in low temperatures,hot nights /days here you could virtually wave your body in front of them and they would not work.

The cheap and most effective type here as far as I'm concerned are the so called rape alarms,fit the small box to a wall,extend the line with thin virtually invisible fishing line,used as a trip wire,sometimes at the beach I throw one into a bag and tie one end to the chair,bag goes missing and it sets off a high pitched wail.

Anyway the majority of expats living here as far as I'm thinking have a lot to hide,probably mostly on the run from law enforcement from their own countries,fraudsters,robbers,dickheads in their own right,they don't want to fall into the trap that they themselves were involved in.There's got to be some other reason why there are so many ex pats living here ,it cannot be just the weather and the girls alone. The guy who is my landlord here at the moment did a 21 year stretch as I was informed of latterly,still if you can't beat 'em.....

Edited February 23, 2010 by raro
discussing moderation is not allowed.

[NanLaew]

Anyway the majority of expats living here as far as I'm thinking have a lot to hide,probably mostly on the run from law enforcement from their own countries, fraudsters, robbers, dickheads in their own right, they don't want to fall into the trap that they themselves were involved in. There's got to be some other reason why there are so many ex pats living here, it cannot be just the weather and the girls alone.

Of course it's just the weather and the girls.

PS. Why are you here?

[Tolley]

If you have to take these sort of measures to protect your property or are that paranoid about where you live maybe you should consider relocating.